Data placed before SC last week showed many states have not ensured formation of Internal Complaints Committee. Top court issued directions to states for effective implementation in 2023.
With the Bombay HC ruling that the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act does not cover advocates, women lawyers have turned to the SC, pleading that they and legal workers have been left without protection.
The woman has also accused the IAF of not treating her internal complaints seriously, saying the force was initially unwilling to conduct a medical examination.
The court ruled that serious incidents of sexual harassment causing mental trauma must be treated as 'continuing offence', which need not be reported within 3 months, as mandated by the POSH Act.
The problem in India is not the law. It is the intent of organisations and their leaders who wish to maintain the status quo with regard to the sexual harassment and abuse of women in the workforce.
Taiwan prioritises tackling workplace harassment. Revised laws entail fines up to $1 million and potential imprisonment for employers found guilty of sexual harassment.
There is a glaring erasure of Dalit Bahujan Adivasi women’s voices from the #MeToo discourse, especially of Bhanwari Devi, whose struggle started the movement.
This is the game every nation is now learning to play. Some are finding new allies or seeing value among nations where they’d seen marginal interest. The starkest example is India & Europe.
COMMENTS